After a long hiatus due to the blizzard Olympic break, the Rangers return to action tonight when they take on the Flyers. Exactly three weeks between a 2-0 shutout loss to the Hurricanes, they continue a five-game stretch at home that’ll carry into March. Believe it or not, there’s light at the end of the tunnel following a winter storm that buried our area with over two feet of snow earlier this week.

As nice as that sounds, that doesn’t change the fact that the Rangers are playing out the string. With 25 games remaining, they rank last in the East with 50 points. Crazy as it sounds, they’re eight behind the Hudson rival Devils who dropped their first game back last night to the playoff-contending Sabres. A statement I never thought I’d write four months ago. So much for making predictions. They were less accurate than the meteorologists.

Almost as disappointing is the Rangers’ opponent. The Flyers are headed nowhere with it looking like a sixth consecutive playoff miss. Following Wednesday night’s 3-1 defeat to the Capitals, they’ve lost six of seven coming into Thursday. Despite boasting some good talent that includes Travis Konecny, Trevor Zegras, Owen Tippett, Matvei Michkov, Denver Barkley, Travis Sanheim, Jamie Drysdale, Cam York, they remain a work in progress under head coach Rick Tocchet. A demanding bench boss who hasn’t always given second-year forward Michkov consistent ice time.

If there’s a mystifying part to the Flyers, it’s their inability to defend well enough. They’ve mostly relied on starting goalie Dan Vladar to bail them out most of the season. While the former Flames backup has played well, as evidenced by his 17 wins, 2.46 goals-against-average, and .905 save percentage, it hasn’t been enough to make the Flyers successful. They bring a 25-21-11 record with 61 points into play, which trail the third place Islanders by eight points with 25 games left.

The problem for them is that they have to leapfrog three teams to reach the postseason for the first time since 2019-20. That includes the Blue Jackets and Caps, who both have proven to be more competitive up to this point. After dropping the first two games to the Rangers, they need to win the remaining two with the season series concluding in two weeks on March 9.

Fox and Shesterkin Activated

As expected, both Adam Fox and Igor Shesterkin have been activated for tonight’s game. Each went down on Jan. 6 to injuries that kept them out the remainder of the schedule until the Olympics. Both will suit up on Thursday night.

Due to the returns which also includes team ornament Conor Sheary, both Brett Berard and Hugo Ollas were assigned to the minors. Despite the team supposedly being committed to a ‘retool,’ Berard won’t play over Sheary, who takes his place back on the third line with Noah Laba and Brendan Brisson, who will get a look in the top nine.

That also means Brennan Othman remains on the fourth line with Sam Carrick and Taylor Raddysh. At this point, it feels inevitable that Othmann will either be traded by the Mar. 6 deadline, or not given a qualifying offer this summer. It’s yet another example of the organization failing to properly develop a prospect.

Othmann was the first player selected under team president and general manager Chris Drury in 2021. Once, former 2018 first round pick Vitali Kravtsov was wasted after Drury took over the reigns from predecessor Jeff Gorton. It doesn’t matter who’s in control. A longstanding tradition continues to plague the Rangers. If you’re an eternal optimist with their eyes on the 2026 NHL Lottery that includes prized prospects Gavin McKenna and Ivar Stenberg, proceed with extreme caution.

Iorio Stays in Over Morrow

When play resumes, waiver pickup Vincent Iorio will stay in the lineup over Scott Morrow. He made his Rangers debut against the Hurricanes, logging 14:15 of ice time on the third defensive pair. The coaching staff wants to see what they have in Iorio, who was a former second round pick of the Caps in 2022.

With Fox returning to re-team with Vladislav Gavrikov on the number one pair, head coach Mike Sullivan has Braden Schneider playing the left side on the second pair with Will Borgen. With rumors continuing to surface of teams interested in acquiring Schneider, he’ll get a different look in the top four. He last played on the left side under former coach Peter Laviolette at the start of 2024-25. If he’s dealt, it’ll likely be to either the Wild or Red Wings. If not, don’t rule out the Stars.

Eventually, they need to make room for Morrow, who must get back in the top six instead of sitting out. While he remains green defensively, the best way for him to learn is to keep playing. He was the only player the Rangers received back for K’Andre Miller, who also netted first and second round picks in this year’s draft.

Panarin Off and Running in LA

Late last night, Artemi Panarin made his Kings debut in Los Angeles. The former Ranger wore old number 72, which he used to don as a Blackhawk. Although they lost to the Golden Knights at home 6-4, Panarin recorded his first two points by setting up a pair of goals, including a beautiful secondary assist on an Adrian Kempe goal in the second period.

It definitely was a little strange to see him in Kings colors. But that’s the reality for Blueshirt fans. To get the number from Kings mascot Bailey, Panarin paid up by presenting him with a Rolex.

They look like a match made in heaven. Kudos to the Kings social media account for having some fun.